Machine for scrubbing floors



Nov. 26, 1929. K. L. MORITZ ,7

MACHINE FOR SCRUBBING FLOORS Filed July 8, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inven/or Mulleopa/o 0701-17:

Nov. 26, 1929. K. L. MORITZ MACHINE FOR SCRUBBING FLOORS Filed-Ju1y 8, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inven/or:

Anu/Zeapo/a Mari/z Patented Nov. 26, 1929 PATENT OFFICE KN'UT LEOPOLD MORITZ, OF UMEA, SWEDEN MACHINE FOR SORUBBING FLOORS Application filed July 8, 1927, Serial No. 204,162, and in Sweden July 13, 1926.

Floor scrubbing machines have been proposed which are provided with a vertical shaft .journalled in the machine frame and supporting a brush or several brushes, and

with a hood or casing surrounding said brush or brushes, said hood or casing being open towards the fioor and serving to confine the water within approximately the area which for the moment is worked upon by the brushes.

The present invention has for its purpose to provide a machine of the type above referred to, which shall be efficient in operations and of a simple and practical construction.

In the accompanying drawings an embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. Fig. 1 shows a side view of the machine, and Fig. 2 shows a plan View of the same, partly in section.

The machine comprises a frame structure which consists of a frame 1, a pedestal 2 on said frame and posts 3. The frame is supported by wheels 4. A vertical shaft 5 r is journalled in the frame structure and supports at its lower end a spider 6 to whlch scrubbing brushes 7 are secured. The shaft 5 is forced downwards by a weight 8 which is adjustable on a rod 9 secured to a fork 10 which is pivoted on a shaft 11 mounted in the pedestal 2, and which surrounds the upper end of the shaft 5. Said end of the shaft is provided with an annular groove 12 engaged by a wire staple 13 mounted in the fork 10 and which thus transmits the pressure of the weight 8 to the shaft 5 and the brushes 7.

Motion is transmitted to the shaft 5 from a main shaft 15 journalled in bearings 14 on the pedestal 2and which may be driven by means of any suitable motor, not illustrated in the drawingby means of a belt or rope 16 which runs over a sheave 17 on the shaft 15, two sheaves 18, 19 on a shaft 20 mounted in the pedestal 2, and a sheave 21 on the shaft 5. The scrubbing brushes will thus be moved over the floor when the motor is running.

The rotating brushes 7 are surrounded by a hood or casing 22 which is open towards the floor and consists of walls perpendicular to the floor and the lower edges of which are preferably surrounded by a packing strip 23 of rubber or the like, and a top covering the space between the walls and through which the shaft 5 passes. Two studs or posts 24- project from the top of the hood up through guides in the frame 1 and are provided with lateralprojections 25 at their upper ends. Journalled in bearings 26 on the frame 1 is a shaft 27 to which arms 29 carrying adjustable weights 28 are secured, as are also arms '30 which are adapted to engage and press against the upper ends of the posts 24:, and arms 31 which are adapted to engage the proections 25 from below. By turning the shaft 27 by throwing over the weighted arms 29 the load of the weights 28 may thus be brought to bear either through the'arms 30 on the upper ends of the posts 24, so as to hold the hood against the floor, or through the arms 31 on the projections 25 so as to raise the hood from the floor, until the top of the hood comes to bear against the frame 1.

A receptacle 32 for washing water is positioned on the forward portion of the frame 1, said receptacle having at its bottom a tap 33 the plug 34 of which is connected by means of a link 35 with an adjustment lever 36 which is movable over a toothed segment 37 on the receptacle and by means of which the plug may be set in different degrees of opening, so that the desired quantity of washing water flows down through the tap 33. From said tap the water flows through an opening 38 in the top of the hood 22 into a duct 39further described here belowin the upper portion of the hood 22, and through openings 40 in the bottom of said duct down in front of the brushes 7.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 the hood 22 is formed to an apex or a corner 11 at the one rearend of the machine. When the machine is moved over the floor in the direction from left to right in Figs. 1 and 2, the washing water with the soap or other detergent dissolved therein, which flows down from the openings 40, will first be caught by the rotating brushes 7 and utilized for the scrubbing operation. Afterwards the water flows along the walls of the hood 22, which bear tightly against the floor by means of the strip 23, to the above-mentioned corner or apex 41 in which the. water is collected. In said apex the suction pipe 42 of a pump 43 mounted on the frame structure reaches down. Said pump is driven from the main shaft 15 by means of a rope 47 running over a sheave 44 on said shaft and a sheave 45 on a shaft 46 journalled in the frame structure, and a second rope 51 running over a second sheave 48 on said shaft 46 and over a sheave 49 on a shaft 50 journalled at the top of the posts 3. The shaft 50 carries a crank 52 which is connected by means of a connecting rod 53 with the piston rod 54 of the pump 43. The pressure opening 55 at the upper end of the pump communicates with a pipe in which a valve 56 is provided which may be adjusted in different positions by means of a lever 58 connected with the valve spindle 57 and cooperating with a toothed segment 59, in such manner that said valve 56 directs the water discharged by the pump either upwards through the bent portion 60 of the said pipe and down into a collecting receptacle 61 for the scrubbing water mounted on the frame structure, or downwards through the straight portion 62 of the pipe. Said pipe 62 extends through an aperture in the top of the hood 22 into the above-mentioned duct 39. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said duct is located in the upper portion of the hood, and extends from the rear corner or apex 41' along one side of the hood to the front portion of the hood where the openings 40 in the bottom of the duct are located. The water flowing through the pipe 62 into the duct 39 will thus flow through the duct to the openings 40, and flows down again in front of the brushes, and will thus be used over again. WVhen the water has become too dirty to be used again, the valve 56 is set in such position that the water passes through the pipe 60 to the collecting receptacle 61.

A yoke 63 is pivoted tothe frame structure, preferably on the shaft 46, and in said. yoke a drum 64 is rotatably mounted. Said. drum is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow by a belt or chain 65 which runs over a pulley or sprocket wheel 66 on the shaft 46 and over a pulley or sprocket wheel 67 on the shaft of the drum. The drum is provided with longitudinal channels 68 in which tubes or rods 69 over which drying cloths 70 are folded, are placed and secured by means of hooks 71 engaging eyes 7 2 at the ends of the drum. During the rotation of the drum the drying cloths run over the floor and wipe oil the same.

The machine may be propelled over the floor by the motor driving the main shaft 15, for which purpose motion is transmitted from said shaft by means of a sheave 73 on the same and a rope 74 to a sheave 75 on the shaft of which a friction disk 76 is secured which engages one of the rear wheels and thereby drives the same. It is then only required by means of the rod 77 to turn the front wheels and thereby guide the machine over the floor. It is possible, however, to do without the motor, and instead to pull the machine by hand over the floor, when the rear wheel will drive the main shaft 15 through the rope 7 4 from which shaft motion is then transmitted to the other movable members in the manner above described;

hen the machine is used for scrubbing floors the hood 22 is lowered against the floor, as above mentioned, so that the washing water is confined within the hood. After use the hood 22 is raised from the floor by throwing over the levers 29.

The embodiment of the invention above described and illustrated in the drawings is only to be regarded as an example, and it will be understood that the details of the same may be changed and modified in several respects within the scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. 1n a machine of the character described the combination of a frame structure, a vertical shaft journalled in said structure and adapted to support brushes, a hood surrounding such brushes and open towards the floor, said hood being movably and adjustably mounted in said frame structure in such man ner that it may be lowered to bear against'the floor and be raised up from the floor and secured in such raised position, said hood being formed with an apex at one end, a duct in said hood extending from said end to the opposite end of the hood and provided with openings at the last mentioned end, a pump mounted in said frame structure and having its suction pipe located in said apex of the hood, and a connection from the pressure opening of said pump to said duct.

2. In a machine of the character described the combination of a frame structure, a vertical shaft journalled in said structure and adapted to support brushes, a hood surrounding such brushes and open towards the floor, said hood being movably and adjustably mounted in said frame structure in such man ner that it may be lowered to bear against the floor and be raised up from the floor and secured in such raised position, said hood being formed with an apex at one end, a duct in said hood extending from said end to the opposite end of the hood and provided with openings at the last mentioned, end, a pump mounted in said frame structure andhaving its suction pipe located in said apex of the hood, a pipe from the pressure opening of said pump to said duct, a receptacle for water mounted on said frame structure, a, second pipe leading from the pressure opening of said pump to said receptacle, and a valve governing the connection between said pump and said two pipes.

3. In a machine of the character described the combination of a frame structure, a vertical shaft journalled in said structure and adapted to support brushes, a hood surrounding such brushes and open towards the floor, said hood being movably and adjustably mounted in said frame structure in such manher that it may be lowered to bear against the fioor and be raised up from the floor and secured in such raised position, said hood being provided with vertical posts slidable in said frame structure, lateral projections on said posts, a shaft journalled in said frame structure, a lever secured to said shaft, a weight on said lever, arms secured to said shaft adapted to engage the end of said posts to press said hood downwardly, and arms on said shaft adapted to engage said projections to raise said hood.

at. In a machine of the character described the combination of a frame structure, a vertical shaft journalled in said structure and adapted to support brushes, a hood surrounding such brushes and open towards the floor, said hood being movably and adjustably mounted in said frame structure in such man her that it may be lowered to bear against the floor and be raised up from the floor and secured in such raised position, said hood being formed with an apex at one end, a duct in said hood extending from said end to the opposite end of the hood and provided with openings at the last mentioned end, a pump mounted in said frame structure and having its suction pipe located in said apex of the hood, a connection from the pressure opening of said pump to said duct, said hood being provided with vertical posts slidable in said frame structure, lateral projections on said posts, a shaft journalled in said frame structure, a lever secured to said shaft, a weight on said lever, arms secured to said shaft adapted to engage the end of said posts, and arms on said shaft adapted to engage said projections.

5. In a machine of the character described the combination of a frame structure, a vertical shaft journaled in said structure and adapted to support brushes, a hood surrounding such brushes and open towards the floor, said hood being movably and adjustably mounted in said frame structure in such manner that it may be lowered to bear against the floor and be raised up from the floor and secured in such raised position, said hood being formed with an apex at one end, a duct in said hood extending from said end to the 0pposite end of the hood and provided with openings at the last mentioned end, a pump mounted in said frame structure and having its suction pipe located in said apex of the hood, a pipe from the pressure opening of said pump to said duct, a receptacle for water mounted on said frame structure, a second pipe leading from the pressure opening of KNUT LEOPOLD MORITZ. 

